Part of Philip Glass’ 80th birthday celebration, the GRAMMY-winning, Bay Area based Kronos Quartet and the composer himself perform his score to accompany a screening of Tod Browning’s iconic 1931 horror classic Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi. Easily one of the most prolific and influential artists of 20th Century, Glass rose to prominence as one of the so-called “minimalist” composers in the late 1960s along with Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and LaMonte Young. His seminal long-form composition Music in 12 Parts, electric chamber opera Einstein on the Beach, and score to Godfrey Reggio’s groundbreaking 1983 film Koyaanisqatsi brought his singular approach to the mainstream, and Glass’ current work encompasses solo piano, chamber music, opera, and increasingly, soundtracks. Called “one of Glass' most lyrical, moving works” by Billboard, his Dracula score was commissioned in 1999 for the Universal home video release of the film, employing keyboards played by the composer, conducting and additional keyboards by longtime Glass collaborator Michael Reisman, and strings by the Kronos Quartet. Formed by violinist David Harrington in 1973, Kronos is the most highly regarded performing ensemble devoted to contemporary composition, with over 850 individual works composed specifically for them. Veterans of dozens of albums and thousands of performances, Kronos has an established relationship with Glass, dating back to their appearance on Glass’ score recording to the 1985 film Mishima. In a perfect Halloween match of program and venue, this performance of the live score with the film takes place at Oakland’s Art Deco palace, the Paramount Theatre, opened in 1931 – the same year as the film’s release.